


I'll carry your memory with me

by makingitwork



Series: Peter/Stiles [29]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, M/M, Spark Stiles, Worried Peter, soul mates, wonderful children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 20:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5756563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makingitwork/pseuds/makingitwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>and it shall not weigh me down</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll carry your memory with me

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by;
> 
> moonlightcalls who said 'omg where is the sheriiff!?!?! what happened, i feel like something happened!?'
> 
> pandamonium_express who said 'And the mention of, but not sight of, Grandpa made me sad too.'

‘I can’t-’ Stiles was shaking, pale and coughing, and Peter snuffled against his neck

‘It’s okay. It’s okay, just breathe Stiles, listen to me breathing. I’m so sorry.’ He held the boy close, as Stiles, aged 38, but still so young and soft looking clutched the empty hospital bed sheets.

‘I can’t. I can’t.’

Peter swallowed thickly ‘Stiles,’

But Stiles pushed away from him. The air was heavy with angry magic and agitation ‘I need to be alone.’

‘No, you don’t. You need your family.’

Stiles glowers at him, sadness turning to anger, and his ears tinge purple for a second, before he teleports away.

 

Matthew finds him first. In wolf form, he nestles to his father’s side as Stiles sits on the edge of a rocky jutting in the woods, legs swinging over a deep ravine. It’s sunny, and warm, and there’s barely a breeze.

‘Matty,’ Stiles sighs, running his fingers over the soft, light brown fur ‘are you okay?’

Matty whines.

‘Of all the ways, you know,’ Stiles shakes his head a little ‘I don’t even know if I’m allowed to mourn in front of you. Are you allowed to mourn in front of your kids? Da- Dad used to mourn mom in private. But there were bottles everywhere so I knew what was happening. But maybe it was different, because I couldn’t see it.’ He smiles wanly ‘he’d lived a long life, died loved and happy, but I still...it doesn’t make it better. It hurts the same. It hurts just like it hurt when-’ he cuts himself off. Matty doesn’t know much about his grandmother. He likes his current grandmother, Melissa Mcall, but he knows that Claudia was named after her. He knows that Papa knew her as a brave woman. But she’s in known of his memories. He doesn’t miss her. He wants too, though. Wants to feel what his dad is feeling. He wants to shift and tell his father to mourn and cry, but he stays in wolf form, and they watch the greenery.

 

Hannah finds them next, stumbling through the forest, holding a compass and grumbling. ‘Dad, why’d you go so far?’

‘I’m sorry, sweetheart,’ Stiles says honestly, arm out, as she sits beside him. She pats Matthew’s fur, and sighs a little

‘Papa’s freaking out, dad. You should tell him where you are. He’s not thinking straight.’ Hannah rests her cheek on her dad’s shoulder. She’s not a wolf, but she imagines she can smell the scent of sadness.

‘I’m hungry,’ Stiles says instead ‘when Claudia gets here, we’ll go to Denny’s, grab some bacon, eggs, toast, all that wonderful food.’

Matthew barks in agreement.

Claudia finds them next, she’s dripping wet and grumbling, back in her human form. ‘I fell in a lake trying to get here dad, how many bleeding hiding spaces do you have?’ She stops upon seeing the three of them, and smiles softly ‘grandpa would be impressed.’ She says, and sits down with a squelch. Stiles summons some flames, to heat her up, and she curls into the warmth eagerly.

The four of them go to Denny’s, fill up on greasy food and familiar waitresses.

Stiles doesn’t talk much, so Matthew, Claudia and Hannah all talk about school stuff, trying to show their dad that things will be okay, that they can bond, they can be enough for him.

 

…

…

…

 

‘Grandpa,’ Hannah says from the table, she’s only eleven, and John looks at her with a fond smile, walking over slowly and easing down onto the chair. ‘I wanted to ask you something.’ She’s been styling her hair differently for high school, and having her fringe clipped back frustrates her a little.

‘Please do,’ he smiles, and his heart bursts with joy at how familiar this scene is to him. He remembers sitting here with Stiles years ago, going through cases and math homework.

‘I was thinking about the bite. I’ve been doing a lot of research-‘

‘Hannah, I thought we went over this, sweetheart.’

‘That’s not why I’m asking,’ she smiles a little ‘I was just…I was thinking about Grandma. Why didn’t she take it? It would have cured her?’

‘She felt it was her time to go.’ John says honestly, and Melissa shoots him a reassuring smile from the kitchen ‘she felt that she was ready. She’d been in pain for so long, and I think, a small part of her thought it wouldn’t take. She didn’t want to be a were-wolf, she had nothing against them, at all. But she said it wasn’t for her.’ _John, I like being clumsy! I like not knowing when people are lying, and I like that rare smell of strong grass. I’ll take smell for granted. I don’t want too. Please, don’t make me._ ‘She was afraid she’d lose herself. At least a part of herself.’

Hannah nods, twirling her pen ‘humans are just as powerful.’

‘That’s certainly true.’

…

…

…

‘I quit!’ Claudia announces with a huff, shoving away from Derek and Scott, stalking to the front porch of the Hale house where the John and Stiles and Peter are drinking lemonade. ‘I don’t even want to do dumb training sessions anyway. I don’t need to learn how to fight.’

‘Yes you do,’ Derek says patiently ‘pack treaty’s need upholding sometimes, Cloud,’

She softens at the nickname, and looks at Matthew who’s practically perfected the attack within minutes. ‘Can we move on to something else?’ She asks hopefully, Derek presses his lips together in sympathy, and Stiles jumps up

‘How about I do it?’ He says, happy to embarrass himself ‘I’ll show you how it’s done, Leia,’ he winks at his daughter and jumps down. Derek rolls his eyes, but does the move, and Stiles- who is more than capable of protecting himself with the spark- let’s himself get caught and flipped onto the ground. ‘Hey!’ He yells at Derek, rubbing the back of his neck ‘that was totally unfair!’

‘What? Stiles! You asked to demonstrate-‘

‘So that’s how you wanna play it? We’re doing that again. Come on, come at me, Sourwolf.’

Claudia rolls her eyes, and takes her father’s seat, leaning into her Papa. Peter chuckles, and John leans forward

‘He’s doing that because he wants you to know it’s okay to get things wrong.’ He says, and Claudia scrunches up her nose. She can’t detect a lie…

‘Why?’

‘Your father has always been very willing to embarrass himself.’ John says gravely, and Peter nods ‘and as mortifying as it is…it’s good. He’s not afraid to have a go. To be shown up, to come last place, he finds a little slice of sunlight in everything. It’s okay to not be perfect at sometimes first try. You have to keep doing it.’

‘But Grandpa…’ she looks away ‘isn’t it true that you won’t be good at something unless you enjoy it?’

‘You’re such a cheater, Derek! I’m going to kill you!’

‘Stiles! Ouch! You dumb ass!’

John nods ‘that makes it easier. But sometimes, it’s your duty,’

‘If you don’t feel like doing any more today though, Cloud,’ Peter says softly ‘we can come back tomorrow. I’m pretty sure your dad is losing his mind.’

‘No!’ She says suddenly, and Peter raises his eyebrows, surprised. ‘No…I…I want to try.’ She meets Grandpa’s pleased eyes and smiles ‘I want to keep trying.’

…

…

…

‘You know how fast you were goin- Matthew?’ John sighs at the teenager, shaking his head ‘you’re not old enough to be driving, son. And you’re definitely not old enough to be speeding. You’re never old enough to speed.’

Matthew sighs, leaning his head back against the seat ‘Grandpa…I was just…I just want to go to a party.’

John sets his torch back into his pocket and shakes his head disappointedly ‘I’m pretty certain your parents said you couldn’t go. I’m pretty certain you’re grounded.’ He grits his teeth ‘turns out texting me updates about you guys was pretty smart of your father.’

‘Grandpa, come on, dad did weird shit too when he was my age! He snuck out when he was grounded, he broke the law, you always let him off the hook-‘

‘It’s different. There are differences between you and Stiles, Matthew.’ The Sheriff places his hand on the door ‘Stiles would leave when he was grounded only for the greater good. Only when he had to save lives. If I told him he couldn’t go to a party, he would ask why, he would respect my decision. I’m not going to lie, he broke the law many, many-‘ he rubs his temple ‘many times, but it was never for selfish reasons. It was always for other people.’

Matthew thumps the steering wheel hard ‘can I go now?’

John looks at him, and Matthew ducks at the sharp smell of disappointment and hurt. ‘I’m gonna drive you home, son. I’ll get someone to take this car back to whoever it belongs too.’

Matthew settles into the passengers seat of the police car, and keeps shooting glances at his Grandpa, who smiles at passerby’s, and abides by the speed limits. Matthew bites his bottom lip, before whining a little in his throat. John’s lips twist fondly at the sound

‘Your little whining sounds are the equivalent of your dad’s doe eyes, you know.’

Matthew sniffles ‘I’m sorry, Grandpa.’

‘Hey, I know. Teenagers.’ He mock shudders ‘horrible time.’

‘Not for dad,’ Matthew scoffs ‘saving the world every weekend, his soulmate by his side, never having to worry about grades or anything.’

‘My son had it easier in a lot of ways,’ the Sheriff agrees ‘he also had it harder in a lot of ways too. He didn’t have his mother, it was just me and I…I worked a lot. Too much.’ He shakes his head, and sadness fills the car ‘I regret working so goddamn much. He had Peter, but he was so scared he’d lose him. He woke up sometimes, screaming in the dead of night with horrible, horrible nightmares. The stress was getting to him- I remember going to his room one morning, and he was just sat on the edge of his made bed, eyes dark, and blackened, and staring out of the window. I called his name, and he didn’t even recognise me. He used to have friends, good friends, a girl named Allison, and she…he’s lost a lot of people, your dad. And so has your father. You’ve only seen a fraction of them, Matthew. They’ve lived a long time and you have yet to do that. Everyone goes through different things. And how tough that life is, depends on the strength of the person.’ He stops in front of the house, and sighs ‘your father can smell you, can’t he?’

‘He’s angry.’

‘Well then I guess I’ll stick around,’ John says ‘as back up.’

Matthew’s heart lurches with appreciation. He knows he doesn’t deserve the back up, but Grandpa will always be there to give it to him.

…

…

…

Stiles takes them home, and Peter rushes to them at the doorway, looking wrecked, and Stiles apologises, cries into his neck, and the children go to bed.

Stiles wakes up in the middle of the night, and manages to creep away from his husband, down into the living room.

He summons his spark, summons his magic.

He transforms the living room with a glamour charm, to make it the living room of his teenage years, and he summons his father- the young one, the one with a Sheriff’s badge and still brown hair.

He cries, and the charmed image of his father rushes to him. Hugs him. Holds him.

And then Stiles sits them down, and curls into his dad’s side, and watch some comedy shows.

 

His family find him in the morning, sleeping, charms gone, his father’s badge in his hands.

Peaceful.

**Author's Note:**

> Sniffles :(
> 
> I think I wanna write some more teen stiles ones, you know, where the sheriff is still alive :((((( 
> 
> so some nice fluffy happy prompts please 
> 
> *cries*


End file.
